1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nuclear magnetic resonance diagnosting apparatus (MRI apparatus).
2. Prior Art
The MRI apparatus is used for diagnosing an examined person by continuously obtaining tomograms at a part of inspection in the inspected person using the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) phenomenon. In order to produce the NMR phenomenon at the part of inspection of the examined person, the MRI apparatus is required to generate a magnetic field and to put the part of inspection of the examined person inside the magnetic field.
In a conventional MRI apparatus, a tunnel-shaped hole is generally formed inside a high-intensity magnetic field to lay an examined person inside the hole. Although the apparatus of this kind can easily generate the high-intensity magnetic field, there is the problem that inserting the examined person into the narrow hole makes it difficult to perform the inspection. Therefore, the conventional MRI apparatus has been designed so as to generate the NMR phenomenon by supporting a magnet with columns without using the tunnel-shaped hole, that is, space. Although most of the conventional MRI apparatuses employ methods of supporting the magnet with two columns, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-140958, a method of supporting the magnet with a single column is also proposed.